My Week in ESTEEM: Sept 4-8

This was a busy week filled with thesis projects, classes, recruiting events, and most importantly, football!

My week started off with my technical elective course, which is water, disease, and global health. In this particular class we learned about different vaccinations for infectious diseases. Coming from a math and computer science background, this course is extremely different from anything I’ve taken in the past, and I love it. Next, I went to our ESTEEM Data Analytics course with Professor Lewandowski, where we gain knowledge in predictive analytics through SAP.

On Tuesday I had my weekly phone call for my thesis to go over new research that was found and new areas to identify. I am currently working with Midwest Promotional Group on developing virtual reality tours of college campuses. Next week, I’ll be traveling to Chicago with Alex Wimber, whose thesis project is also with the company, for the second time this semester, to do more work in person. We’ve loved working with Mike and John so far, and can’t wait to see where this project leads to.

Later that day I gave a presentation in our Technology and Business presentations course. The ESTEEM class was divided into four different classrooms and four people per group gave a background on their thesis project in a short presentation. Professor Langley aided my group of presenters in our presentation styles, giving feedback on what was done well and what we can improve on. Prior to ESTEEM, I had a personal fear of public speaking. Luckily, this program has helped me gain confidence giving presentations in front of large groups.

Wednesday was incredibly busy with networking opportunities. We started the day off at the Breakfast with Champions, a networking session for graduate students with STEM backgrounds. The event was perfect to be able to speak with companies one on one that may have large crowds at other recruiting events. Later that day, we had the fall career fair that took place in the stadium. Over 200 employers visited the campus, ranging anywhere from consulting to tech companies.

Thursday and Friday were busy days at the IDEA Center! Thor Nagel and I work together as entrepreneurial leads, where we collaborate with a team to determine the best market for a certain technology. We’re currently in week 6 of our cohort, and spent a large amount of time this week speaking with a variety of people on our topic. After we completed these tasks, we went to listen to the bi-weekly pitch sessions. Pitch sessions are where ESTEEM students are able to pitch their ideas for new companies and products they have been exploring. It’s interesting to see what people have been getting into these first few weeks back at Notre Dame. On Friday, the IDEA Center held its second Innovation Rally, where we listened to Dan Peate, founder of Peate Ventures, speak about his experience as a venture capitalist.

We ended the week with everyone’s favorite day: GAME DAY! All 44 of us continue to bond over our love for tailgating and Notre Dame Football, which ended in a tough loss 20-19 against Georgia. Despite the loss, the first night game experience was incredible, and we’re looking forward to a win against BC next week – GO IRISH!